Great Unclean One
Greater Daemon Of Nurgle (Bahk'ghuranhi'aghkami) Great Unclean Ones - Plague Lords - Nurgle - Fly Masters - Stench Lords - Father Nurgle The Great Unclean Ones are the Greater Daemons of Nurgle. In the case of other Chaos Powers, Greater Daemons are servants, albeit immensely able and powerful ones. This is not quite true of Nurgle's Greater Daemons, who are each, more or less, a facsimile of Nurgle himself, both physically and in terms of their personality. In other words, it may be said that every Great Unclean One is also Nurgle. A Great Unclean One is sometimes referred to as Nurgle or Father Nurgle by his underlings, although of course he also has his own daemonic name. A Great Unclean One certainly looks like Nurgle - a gigantic figure bloated with decay, disease, and all imaginable kinds of physical corruption. The skin of the daemon is greenish, necrose, and leathery; its surface is covered with pockmarks, sores, and other signs of infestation. The inner organs, rank with decay, spill through the ruptured skin and hang like drapes about the girth. From these organs burst tiny creatures called Nurgling, which chew and suck upon the nauseous juices within. Such foulness represents the truth of the universe, of decay and the end of all things. Yet, in character, the Greater Daemon is neither deathlike nor morbid. In fact, the opposite is true; Great Unclean Ones are motivated by all the trivial human enthusiasms which drive the living. They are ebullient and vociferous, full of a natural enthusiasm to organise and achieve. They are driven by a gregarious and even sentimental nature and hold their followers dear, even referring to them as their 'Children' and taking a noticeable pride in their appearance and endearing behaviour. This combination of physical corruption and energetic endeavour is the most extraordinary characteristic of Nurgle's daemons. It can be seen most clearly when the Great Unclean One and his daemonic followers appear in the material world. The horde travels in a great cavalcade of covered wagons, bringing with it all the pestilences and ills that befall the living. The wagons are in no better physical condition than the daemons within. Their shrouds are tattered and rotten, their frames splintered and bent, and their metal-work pitted and rusted. Yet within the plodding caravan of Nurgle, all is bustle and activity as the Great Unclean One prepares to launch a festival of decay and destruction upon a human village, a thriving town, or an opposing army. For Nurgle's visitation is like that of a travelling circus or great fair, except that the entertainment it offers is disease, sickness, and death. As the caravan draws near to its destination, the excitement of the daemons nears fever pitch. Plaguebearers take stock of pestilence and disease, counting the reserves of sickness, the number of Nurglings, each other, and eventually anything that stands still long enough to be counted. Amidst the deep-throated drone of the Plaugebearers' endless tally, the Nurglings chatter and prance like small children about to embark upon a special treat. They squabble and squirm, snigger and squeal, and their numbers increase and diminish beyond the Plaguebearers' ability to count them. Amid the general hullaballoo and sense of anticipation, the overly affectionate Beasts of Nurgle jump uncontrollably from Plaguebearer to Plaguebearer, like excitable puppies leaving pools of dribble and slime as they pass. When the Great Unclean One speaks, his manner is immediately reminiscent of the great stage manager and leader that he is. He addresses his cast of Plaguebearers, Nurglings, and Beasts, building their enthusiasm by recalling the fine aesthetic qualities of famous diseases of the past. He may mention in passing the wine-dark sea of purple-patterned decay, the fine flaky texture and slightly salty tang of eczema. As the multitude clamours for more, he will describe the gem-like shine of a boil as it wells to a head and the final satisfaction as it bursts, exposing a glistening cavity of inflamed flesh. The Dance Of Death As the great plague carts and wagons of the cavalcade of Nurgle approach their target, the unsuspecting village or the sleepy town, the daemons prepare their campaign of destruction. In all respects, it is a performance and, like all performances, it has its prelude as well as its climax. In this case, the prelude is the Dance of Death, enacted the night before the assault, when the daemons of Nurgle dance a great Dance of Death, encircling the town or village three times. As the moon rises into the sky, the Dance of Death begins its course and the cast of daemons moves solemnly over the hills and fields. As the procession moves past the outlying houses, dogs and cattle take up the cacophonous noise, adding their barking and lowing to the rising song. As the night progresses and the first circuit is complete, the excitement begins to mount. The songs become raucous and the dancing more and more animated. As the dancers begin the third circuit, they abandon themselves to a frenzy of song, laughter, and madness in which they cry out the terrible things they intend to do on the morrow. As the dance nears its completion, the noise drifts through the night air into the houses of the living, where those awakened by the song lie too terrified to move from their beds, whilst those still sleeping experience strange and disturbing dreams. Animals panic in their stalls or break out of their fields; butter curdles and milk turns sour. When it seems that the horror can no longer be endured, all falls strangely silent. The third circuit is now complete and the songs of fate are at an end. Alignment Chaotic (Nurgle). Psychological Traits Great Unclean Ones cause fear in all living creatures and terror in living creatures under 10 feet tall. They are immune to psychological effects from all creatures except for the gods themselves. Magic A Greater Daemon of Nurgle has a spell pool of seven randomly determined spells - the first spell generated of any level will be a Spell of Nurgle. Magic Items A Great Unclean One carries D6 randomly generated magic items. Special Rules A Great Unclean One has 10 attacks in total, including 8 claw, 1 bite or gore, and 1 stomp. When the Daemon scores a successful hit with a bite attack, his snake-headed tongue makes an additional attack: if successful, the damage caused is resolved with a S of 4. Successful claw and bite attacks cause infected wounds. Any non-magical weapon which strikes a Great Unclean One will rust away to nothing on a roll of 5 or 6 on a D6, leaving the attacker weaponless. Any living creature engaged in hand-to-hand combat against a Great Unclean One risks cataching the dreaded disease Nurgle's Rot. Great Unclean Ones do not wear armour. Their corpulent and unfeeling flesh gives them a natural 2 armour points on every hit location. Great Unclean Ones are immune to normal weapons, whereas all of their attacks count as magical and can affect creatures which are invulnerable to non-magical weapons. They are subject to instability. The profile here can be modified by the Daemon's Chaos attributes. Great Unclean Ones will often ride upon Palanquins. Category:Rules Category:Bestiary Category:Chaos